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Nissan Altima

Every model year 2016–2026: recalls, owner complaints, NHTSA crash ratings and EPA efficiency side by side, each value traced to the file it came from.

11 Model years 2016–2026

27 Recalls NHTSA campaigns, all years

1,746 Complaints owner reports, all years

A Newest grade 2026 Safety Signal

2022 Best on record cleanest filed year

The 2026 Altima →Which years to avoid Compare it

Nissan Altima — photograph via Wikimedia Commons — Nissan Altima · Photo: LukaCali · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Every Nissan Altima model year

Source: NHTSA · EPA · one row per year

Year	Powertrains	Safety	Recalls	Complaints	Crash	Best efficiency
2026	Gas	A	0	1	★★★★★	30 mpg
2025	Gas	B	2	7	★★★★★	31 mpg
2024	Gas	B	1	41	★★★★★	31 mpg
2023	Gas	A	0	30	★★★★★	31 mpg
2022	Gas	A	0	31	★★★★★	32 mpg
2021	Gas	B	2	70	★★★★★	32 mpg
2020	Gas	D	6	160	★★★★★	32 mpg
2019	Gas	F	7	233	★★★★★	32 mpg
2018	Gas	B	2	226	★★★★★	31 mpg
2017	Gas	C	3	393	★★★★★	31 mpg
2016	Gas	D	4	554	★★★★★	31 mpg

Which model year the record favours

Source: recalls and complaints per year on the road

Years to avoid, with the reasons →Best on the record 2022

On the filed record so far, the 2022 is the cleanest Altima year we hold, and the 2019 the one to check hardest.

Both figures are divided by the number of years the car has been on sale, because otherwise the oldest year on the page loses every time simply for having been around longer. The current model year and any year under three on the road are left out: their records are not finished.

Year	Safety Signal	Recalls /yr	Complaints /yr
2022	A	0	8
2023	A	0	10
2018	B	0.2	28
2021	B	0.4	14
2017	C	0.3	44	1 critical
2016	D	0.4	55	1 critical
2020	D	1	27	1 critical
2019	F	1	33	2 critical

Which Nissan Altima years reported which system early

Source: NHTSA complaints, odometer at report

Earliest on the record: 2016 engine complaints at 0.87× the mileage of same-age vehicles (median 54,220 miles). Latest: 2017 vehicle speed control at 3.15× (67,500 miles).

Year	Power Train	Engine	Electrical System	Service Brakes	Air Bags	Vehicle Speed Control
2019	—	1.61×	1.37×	0.9×	—	—
2018	—	—	1.55×	1.21×	—	—
2017	1.7×	1.03×	1.26×	—	1.92×	3.15×
2016	1.29×	0.87×	0.93×	—	1.28×	2.23×

Each cell is that model year’s median odometer when owners reported the system, divided by the median for the same system across every make’s complaints on the same model year. under 0.67× reported early; 1.5× or more late; a dash means too few readings. When problems get reported, not how often — complaint counts are in the table above. Across the whole fleet: which systems go first.

What owners filed about the Nissan Altima, by system

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer communicationsEvery system, every year →

The systems the federal record is deep on for this nameplate: the complaints per model year, the mileage owners reported them at, and every recall, investigation and manufacturer bulletin filed under the heading — each one linked, none a failure rate.

transmission and drivetrain problems 417 complaints, every model year engine problems 261 complaints, every model year electrical problems 247 complaints, every model year airbag problems 197 complaints, every model year

What changed year to year

Source: computed from the filed record

2026: best combined mpg 31 → 30; 3 → 2 EPA configurations
2025: 4 → 3 EPA configurations
2023: best combined mpg 32 → 31; 6 → 4 EPA configurations
2021: 5 → 6 EPA configurations
2019: best combined mpg 31 → 32; 3 → 5 EPA configurations

Compare

All Altima head-to-heads →Which is better for you? →

Head-to-head	Verdict
2026 Altima vs Toyota Crown · Midsize Sedan	Altima +6.5
2026 Altima vs Kia K4 · Midsize Sedan	Toss-up
2026 Altima vs Toyota Camry · Midsize Sedan	Toss-up
2026 Altima vs Hyundai Elantra · Midsize Sedan	Toss-up
2026 Altima vs Honda Civic · Midsize Sedan	Toss-up
2026 Altima vs Tesla Model 3 · Midsize Sedan	Altima +8.1
2025 Altima vs Hyundai Ioniq 6 · Midsize Sedan	Ioniq 6 +8.2
2024 Altima vs Toyota Prius Prime · Midsize Sedan	Prius Prime +20.6

In the studies

Source: computed from the same record, method on each page

Odometer at first complaint · rank 49 of 79 1.24× the mileage of same-age vehicles Nissan Altima owners reported problems to NHTSA at a median 31,000 miles across 2018–2019 (fleet 23,512), later than vehicles of the same model year. 178 readings.Same trim, next model year · 2025 → 2026 +0.5% at the median across 4 matched trims The manufacturer’s announced MSRP for the 2026 Nissan Altima against the same trim in 2025; the fleet moved +1.8% on 394 matched trims. Base trim $27,000 → $27,580. MSRP excludes destination; not a transaction price.

Common questions about the Nissan Altima

Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kits

Which Nissan Altima year is the best used buy?

On the recall record, the 2022 Altima comes out top of the years before the current one: Safety Signal grade A (100/100), 0 recalls and 31 owner complaints on file. That ranks paperwork, not condition — a specific car's history and service record still decide it.

What Nissan Altima years should I avoid?

2016, 2019, 2020 have the weakest recall records in this range. The year pages list every campaign, its severity and whether a repair exists yet. Every Altima model year ranked, with the reasons.

How many recalls does the Nissan Altima have?

Across model years 2016–2026, NHTSA has posted 27 recall campaigns for the Nissan Altima. They are counted per model year in the table above, because a campaign almost never covers the whole run — it covers a build range.